1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally related to methods and systems for tracking vessels. More specifically, the present invention relates to latent tracking of vessels using a mesh network.
2. Description of the Related Art
The tracking of vessels using GPS is known in the prior art. Various wireless communication formats are known for wireless transmitting information. Examples include Wireless Local Access Network (WLAN) standards such as IEEE 802.11, 802.15.4, and derivatives thereof. Various cellular based communication formats are also known. Other wireless communications standard or specification may also be deployed. Example cellular-based data systems include: (1) the “TIA/EIA-95-B Mobile Station-Base Station Compatibility Standard for Dual-Mode Wideband Spread Spectrum Cellular System” (the IS-95 standard), (2) the standard offered by a consortium named “3rd Generation Partnership Project” (3GPP) and embodied in a set of documents including Document Nos. 3G TS 25.211, 3G TS 25.212, 3G TS 25.213, and 3G TS 25.214 (the W-CDMA standard), (3) the standard offered by a consortium named “3rd Generation Partnership Project 2” (3GPP2) and embodied in “TR-45.5 Physical Layer Standard for cdma2000 Spread Spectrum Systems” (the IS-2000 standard), and (4) the high data rate (HDR) system that conforms to the TIA/EIA/IS-856 standard (the IS-856 standard). Other wire replacement formats, such as Bluetooth, are known. Optical formats may also be utilized, including infrared, such as detailed by the Infrared Data Association (IrDA).
The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite based navigation system operated and maintained by the United States Government. GLONASS is a Russian controlled satellite constellation providing substantially the same location functionality as GPS. Differential Satellite Navigation Systems (DSNS), such as Differential GPS (dGPS) and Differential GLONASS (dGLONASS), utilize a strategy to improve the accuracy of GPS position determination information. It is based on the determination that the main sources of positional error in GPS are approximately equal over very large areas. DSNS use a comparison between the actual known position of a reference receiver and the position of the reference receiver calculated from the satellite system to determine what correction is necessary to reduce satellite system calculated position errors, known as pseudo-range errors, in the general vicinity of the reference receiver. For example, dGPS and DGLONASS systems use reference receivers at surveyed locations. These reference receivers are programmed with the surveyed location information. They then receive signals from the satellites and calculate the position from that information. The reference receivers then establish the difference between their surveyed position and the calculated position (the pseudo range error) and broadcast the corrections that allow roving receivers in the region to correct the position calculations for the pseudo-range errors. This allows for the removal of the negative results that SA, the ionosphere and troposphere and other error sources can have on positional accuracy. A nonproprietary broadcast standard for this error-correcting information is RTCM SC-104 Version 2.
The prior art discloses various systems and methods for tracking vessels.
Bloebaum et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,204,808 for a Method And System For Aiding GPS Receivers Via A Cellular Or PCS Network discloses providing GPS navigational location information to a mobile station over a wireless network.
Bunn, U.S. Pat. No. 6,240,365 for an Automated Vehicle Tracking And Service Provision System discloses using a GPS receiver with a cellular network to track an automobile.
Chou, U.S. Pat. No. 6,327,533 for a Method And Apparatus For Continuously Locating An Object discloses tracking an object using GPS with satellite communications and wireless network communications.
Cline, U.S. Pat. No. 6,658,349 for a Method And System For Marine Vessel Tracking System discloses tracking movements of a ship using GPS receivers and satellite communications that are periodically transmitted to a monitoring station.
Randazzo et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,904,364 for a Navcell Peer To Peer GPS discloses a system that uses a GPS system with linked vessel to vessel communications that form a communications mesh to transmit only real-time current location messages for a vessel along the communication mesh to a display device.
Chitrapu et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,968,185 for a Mobile Wireless Presence And Situation Management System And Method discloses a system where a user can indicate the user's availability to receive a communication such as a telephone call.
Schwengler et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,050,819 for a Mesh Network Mobile Unit With Positioning System discloses a system that can receive unit positioning location information using GPS and transmit information over a mesh network.
Feher, U.S. Pat. No. 7,260,369 for a Location Finder, Tracker, Communication And Remote Control System discloses a device that uses two RF bands for communication and positioning the location of the device.
Siegel et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,271,736 for an Emergency Vehicle Alert System discloses a line of site transceiver that can communicate an emergency signal from one emergency vehicle to another emergency vehicle.
Holmes et al., U.S. Patent Publication Number 2007/0268155 for a Position Tracking And Proximity Warning System discloses a system that uses mesh nodes on a truck to track the position of the truck using a mesh network.
Meinzen et al., U.S. Patent Publication Number 2008/0036587 for a Race Tracking System And Method discloses a system for generating a real-time map of objects based on GPS coordinates received from the objects.
The idea of tracking sailboats is not new. The tracking of sailboats has been done via on-board GPS for a number of years. Before GPS, the tracking of sailboats was done with Loran or paper charts. Also, the tracking of most if not all boats in a race is not novel. AMERICA'S CUP racing has been tracked for years with GPS and wide area or local area wireless communications. Currently, a company called KATTACK (kattack.com) offers the ability to track fleets of race boats and provides immediate viewing on a Web-enabled desktop application, with track and parametric data and animation of races.
The KATTACK system requires each skipper to place a GPS handheld device into a “holster” on the stern of the sailboat to activate the GPS handheld device just before racing starts. The GPS handheld device is then returned to an authorized “publisher” for upload to the Web. The information from the KATTACK GPS handheld device is displayed using a Web-enabled (.Net) desktop application. However, .Net applications only run on relatively recent Microsoft personal computers and do not support LINUX, MacOS, IPHONE or other smart phones.
Marathon runners have been tracked with RFID technology which highlights when each runner has passed a certain checkpoint. However, this type of marathon runner tracking does not provide information on the track in between the checkpoints. Further, motorcycles used to track and photograph the lead runners utilize GPS but only via “point-to-point” two-way connections.
Wireless mesh networking is being aggressively pursued by many levels of technology. “WiFi” or “WiMax” mesh technology mostly revolve around the idea of wireless ISP (WISP), the idea that a coverage area for internet access points can be inexpensively expanded.